Folding umbrella.



C. P. MENSEN.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 13, ms.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES.- WM

INVENTOR. CUNRF/U F. MENSE/V."

| I I I ms NOHNIS rE'rcRs o0. puumumm. wAsNlNcw/v. n. 1:.

C. P. MENSEN.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1915.

1,211,610. Patented Jan. 9,1917

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' came/m P MENSEN ms NORRIS PEYERS cc" Mum-1.1mm, WASHINGTON. u c.

lUNfiTFiD STATES FOLDING UMBRELLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 9, 1917.

Application filed May is, 1915. Serial No. 27,783.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD P. MENSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Folding Umbrella, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a folding umbrella and its object is to provide an umbrella which will be capable of being folded up to a convenient pocket size when not in use.

An object of the invention is to provide the umbrella standard with means whereby it cannot be separated one part from an other, thereby facilitating the folding and unfolding of the umbrella.

Another object of the invention is to provide the umbrella with a collapsible handle, which handle may be used in either of two positions as the user may elect.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing in which the same reference numeral is applied to the same portion throughout, but I am aware that there may be many modifications thereof.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the umbrella extended, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the slidable ferrule used on the umbrella standard to which the umbrella braces are connected, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sheet metal used for making the crown piece to which the upper end of the ribs are connected, Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the crown piece and plate holding the same to the umbrella standard at the upper end of the ribs, Fig. 3 is a view of the umbrella extended, the dotted line showing the second position of the handle, Fig. 4: is a plan View of the umbrella showing the position of the joints in the telescoping rods, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the end of the handle showing the means for securing it to the main part of the umbrella, Fig. 6 is an end View of the handle shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a plan View of one of the telescoping rib joints.

The numeral 1 represents a hollow handle which may be of any desired cross section, although in the present instance it has been illustrated as square. This handle is provided with an opening at 2 for a snap lock 3 carried by a spring 4; on a slide 6 into which the first length of the umbrella standard 7 a is secured. The slide 6 carries a cam 8 which is adapted to engage a bail 9 connected with a spring 10 carrying a catch 11, which catch is used for the purpose of connecting the handle 12 with the handle 1, the handle 12 being capable of telescoping with the handle 1 when it is desired to fold the umbrella. The handle 12 is opened at the end and on one side has lips 13 and 1% which are adapted to pass into slots 15 and 16 in the handle 1. hen it is desired to use the handle in the position shoWn in dotted lines in Fig. 3 the catch 11 holds the handle 12 in either position.

he umbrella standard is composed of'the parts 7, 17, 18, 19 and 20 and an extension 21 to give the umbrella the appearance of the ordinary umbrella in use. The parts 7 17, 18 each have a short length of tube 22 therein, said tube being threaded at its up per end to engage the tubes 17, 18 and 19 respectively. The tubes 17, 18, 19 are each provided with a small ring 23 pressed thereinto to afford a locking means for the links which join the several parts of the umbrella standard. In order to prevent the several parts of the umbrella standard 7, 17, 18, 19 from separating from each other, springs 24 and 25 are used, said springs being joined by means of a small link 26 which prevents thetwo parts of the umbrella standard from moving apart more than the distance permitted by the hooks on the ends of the springs2 i, 25 and the rings 22, 28. There are three of the sets of springs 24, 25.

The tube 19 is internally threaded at 26 to receive the threaded end of the rod 21, which rod can also be threaded into the ferrule tip 27 when the umbrella is extended. The tube 19 and tube 20 are joined by means of the pin 28. The ferrule tip 27 is internally threaded to be screwed on the upper end of the tube 20 to hold the cloth against the plate 30 which has tip pieces 30 for securing the rib holding crown piece against it. The rib holding crown piece is indicated at 30 and is formed up somewhat larger than it is intended to ultimately be, ribs 30 being formed therein to form lugs for holding the ribs 31 in position, wires 30 passing through the eyes in the ribs 30 to secure the ribs thereto, each rib having a separate wire 30 so that if one is broken all the others will not come loose. The ribs are shallow channel shaped in cross section and they are provided with loops 32, 33, 34C,

which loops extend around the next adjacent member forming the complete rib. The ribs also have shouldered ends 35, 36, 37, which ends cooperate with springs 38, 39 to hold the ribs extended, the spring 10 being used only in emergency, whereupon the loop 11 may be slipped away from it or it may be slipped over it so that the reversely positioned end 4:2 of the member s3 is used to frictionallyhold the last section of the rib extended. The loop 33 is provided with a downwardly extending eye at to connect with the braces L5, which braces slide over the braces 16 connected at its other end to the ferrule member 4:7. The braces 15, 16 are held extended by means of a light spring 48 pivoted to one end of them.

The ferrule member comprises a crown 50, a coiperating crown piece 51 used to hold the ends of the braces in the proper position, the spring carrying tube 52 held on the crown piece by means of the lip 53, and the spring releasing slide 53. The spring carrying tube has one spring 55 for holding the ribs extended and another spring 56 for holding the umbrella in the closed position.

The operation of the umbrella will be clear from the foregoing specification and is as follows: The handle 12 is loosely slidable on the handle portion 1 whenever the cam 8 engages the bail 9 and disengages the catch 11 from the handle 12. At this time the handle may be either closed up on the handle 1 or it may be pulled out and turned to the position shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the latch 3 which'is operated by pressure of the thumb is disengaged from the opening at the upper end of the handle 1 and the part 6 is free to slide up or down the handle 1. At this time the tubes 7 17, 18 may be separated by unscrewing them one from another adjacent the three pairs of connecting links, 21, 25, whereupon the three members 7, 17, 18 may be inserted side by side in the handle 1. At the same time when the umbrella is folded the ribs are collapsed by pushing in on the outer ends of the ribs, whereupon the loop 34 will press on the spring 39 and disengage it from the shoulder 36. The loop 33 will then slide along the rib next adjacent and will bear on the spring 38 in turn permitting the loop 32 to slide along the rib 31. These steps are taken successively with each of the ribs and at the same time the spring catch 48 is disengaged from the braces e6, whereupon the two brace members d5, 16 may be telescoped one over the other. The rod 21 at the end of the umbrella may be unscrewed from its position adjacent the ferrule shown in Fig. 1, whereupon it is screwed into the end of the tube 19 to hold it in its retracted position. It is to be observed that the thumb slide piece is usable for disengaging either the spring used for holding the umbrella extended or for disengaging the spring for holding the umbrella folded in the position shown in Fig. 3, having curved lips 54: through which a wire 54: is passed to make an eihcient finger hold. The bag B used to hold the umbrella when folded is placed in the hollow handle 12 when the umbrella is extended.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows, modifications within the scope of the claims being expressly reserved:

In an umbrella, the combination with a jointed standard, of a series of jointed ribs and braces pivoted thereto, the jointed ribs being channel shaped in cross-section and having loops at their inner ends surrounding the next adjacent rib section, and springs lying in the channels of said ribs and adapted to bear on the outer ends of the next adjacent inner rib sections to hold the ribs extended, each rib having a plurality of joints, the spring locks of which are successively released by the sliding of the outer rib ends over the next adjacent inner rib spring look.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of May A.D. 1915, in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

CONRAD P. MENSEN. \Vitnesses C. P. GRIFFIN, HENRY B. LISTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing-I the Commissioner of latentx Washington, I). C. 

